Retractable car step



Feb- 7 1939. B. c. BAADE RETRGTABLE CAR STEP Filed July l1, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet l Sum/MA.;

Feb.

B. C. BAADE RETRAC TABLE CAR STEP Filed July l1, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 `l80 1:ositiori."` fi yg .l i Other yobjects@ of v,this lnventiorij will 'appear' hereinafter` as the description ,thereof 'proceeds,'\

the novelfeatures;Iarrangements and combinar* roamed Feb, 7, 1939 vwhich have*r the teridenyoffrcreating lair. re- L sistance. The.' entrance jstepf is f. one of' thosef-pro jections,y which! areftofbejeliininated according 4use before; owever, without having thogoqyap- "tages incorporated fin fthis' invention;

" The .main --object/'of this invention is to 'pro-y 15. vide 1in ythe outer'wa11 otaear an yentrance step.

guard' flthe, car :structure against :daixiage f 'in yfthe 'event th open step shouldstrileanfobject ywhile *Another objectlbfthi'sinvention yis. to provide` aslmple, emcietretractablestep'-which serves i as a step'aridjalsojasupart-'oithfinneplatiorm' aswell as part o! thecar body when ilu/retracted i y as andftiieoiaimstiijereiintoappended. f

Fig. i1- isafcross-sectionai 'view ofa'car havin/g.r

broken out to-Hshow the.r hinge partly -in section. In Fig.l 1` `the retractable. step.- `I I', shown in lowered position-consists of two'treads I2 and i3v which tit intohtheapertureA Il of thecar body 50 structure I5`to which brackets I8 are attached bym'ea'ns of shanks. I1 which vareir'itegral parts v ofthe brackets, andnuts IO-,'as w'ell asby, bolts l is and rivets zo. 51nto thevbrackets'is`-are inserted roundsle'eves 2l (Figs. 2 and 3) turnable `ist m the .brackets and prmricieuwitn` a square hole closed position.

loi'fthe appended claims. f

into which I:itsV the :square shaft f ze, toayvnicjiil vthe'step;` is secured. Thenpper tread- 121s 'prog-l vided with;v hinge 'butts 21 carried lbyffthii S'i'iualre shaftr 26 Landl between' whichjbutts fltf the'. brack- Iets i8. :The hinges are"securedjgantflongi- 5 ftudinalmovement on the :shaft tyfst-tl screws 2l.' y.Adjusting screws v29inf the"braclevets "I6 and a faxing mit auv arrestjuie treadminthe/proper `downward position; The Iower'treadl. 'toget-hver with lltsfriser 35,@isy supported fbya Atrrisveriie 10 L-shaped :projection 3 lj extending 'longitudinally f and restingon La' corresponding. L-shaped; projecl[tion `32 'oi' the tread'l2.y flange-rf".v extending '.1

along therlser f'lse'cu'res thejqlowertreadtolthe 'i upper *tread 'by 'three rivets 16,' giving "ajcertain 15.. shearing `sir'emztii,to hoidxtiiedcreads together; The riserva-amulet its upperfioiigitudiai; edge- 1 `withl the outer lower edgeoi'thefup'perftread,- 'thus"xriakingf a stii'f `connection Abtwee'ariv upper the oar should moi/eau 'obstriition hitting 'the o iowert'read lwul simply .shear orrore'rivetsy 1li .andjslide'oi froiny the'ru'pper tread withoutdoing damage3to the V-uppertread jor {t oj 'the carstru 254 ture. "Tocov'ervthe aperture l'of'thejouterilcover v `provided on its .1ower iside winnie .cover-Iolite u l which extends into thexcurvd' portion oi' y,the car 30 .body and fullypo'vejrsthe openingfwhenfthe 'st i'el is inraised position. 'l In raised positiontheriser as isiiushwith thetop"oftnejoaryesfibuie 'door .izio'rrliofthegentrance door V39A' `which'isshownv in lfuu iiiies rin operi` positioofgiio'iii ,qashi. iiiie in which connects by'a `r'oiic'i l0 to a lever Il secured at one end ofthe square shaft 2 8, `outside of the vvnearing 43, which is provided with a round bush-y ing M heid in place by collars 4l.' 'The door 39 also may be connected tothe electro-pneumatic controlling dev-ice .and closed thereby together. with the raising. of the-step which only turns through an angle of90 degrees from the raised tothe lowered position.

It is to be understood that thisinventioriv is not 5 'limited tothe speciilc construction 'shown in vthe drawings, andfmay be ychanged according to irequirer'nents within its -splrit and within the scope ,entrancest I claim: y

1. In combination, a vehicle body having-an aperture inthe outersurfacethereof, a retractable epi,

f reads, t'ting and being secured ani-outer. covering and an extension on the lowertreadthe step in raised condition forming by means of its'lower tread covering andiextension a portion of the outerfsurfaceof. said body vand by means of the riser connecting saidtreads,

a p'ortion of the floor of the vehicle body.

2. In a vehicle, the combination with a vehicle body of a step having a supporting portion andv a tread portion, the latter 'extending beyond lthe outer'contour of saidbody, a connection between v saidv step and body including interlocking members capable of sustaining normal Vertical loads placed on said step, and a plurality of rivets of low shear strengthholding said interlocking connections inoperative relation, the interlocking relations being such' as to permit detachment of the step from the body in 'at least one horizontal Y ing'a' riser and a tread portion, the pivot fordirection if and when a f orce is exerted in that direction surlcient to destroy the'rivet connection.

3. A car construction com prisingal car having a floor recessed. adjacent the outer surface ofthe body of the-car, a step pivoted in said recess havsaid step being at the inner edge of said tread portionV at a distance belowA said floor substantially equal to the Width of lthertread portion of said step and directly beneath the inner portionv of said recess, whereby when said step is moved through' Asubstantially 90 upwardly the riser-v moves into substantial alignment with the floor and forms a continuation thereof, said riser being provided with another. tread at theY lower edge thereof,l which tread extends vertically from said riser when said treads are moved to inoperative position, the under surfaceof said second-mem.

tioned tread forming a portion'of the outersurface of said body. l,

4. In a vehicle, the combinationwith a -body having an inner platform therein and a recess ad-l jacent thereto to receive amovable car` step, a car stephaving a tread portion and a depending riser mounted within said recess forvangular comprising two treads and a riser` hingewithin said aperture to the vehicle a step having a tread portion,'a support on said body for said step, the tread portion extending beyond the outer contour of the body, sufnciently strong vmeans interconnecting said step and support to sustain vertical loads on said tread portion, and means relatively kweak in horizontal shear for resisting separation of said step and support horizontally, whereby topermit the step to be'readily separated from said support when i struck by `means having a substantial horizontal force'component.

6.- In a vehicle, the combination with a body of astep having a tread portion, a support on said body for said sten-the tread portion extending beyond the outer contour of the body, suiiiciently strong means interconnecting said step and support Vto sustain vertical loads on said vtread por tion, and means relatively weakr in horizontal shear forv resisting separation of said step and support horizontally, whereby` to permitthe step to bereadily separated from Said support when struck by means having a. substantial horizontal force component, said interconnecting means comprising interlocking horizontally arranged flanges on said step and support.

7. In a vehicle, the combination"with a body of a step having a tread portion, a support on said body for said step, the tread' portion extending beyond the outer contour of theibody, sufficiently strong means interconnecting said step and support to sustain vertical loads on said tread portion, and means relatively weak in horizontal shear for resisting separation of said step and support horizontally, whereby topermit the step to beY readily separated from said support when' struck by means having a substantial horizontal force component, said interconnecting means being constructed to sustain vertical loads independently of saidrelativ'ely weak means.`

8. The combination ywith a vehicle body of a step having a treadV portion and a supporting portion, said supporting portion extending substantially vertically and having an inwardly `turned flange at its upper edge, a substantially horizontal outwardly extending flange carried by said car body and on which said first-mentioned flange rests, `means for bracing said supporting portion vagainst rotative vmovement when a` vertical load' Y is applied to said tread portion, andv a shear connection for ,holding theaforesaid flanges in supy porting relation with .each other, comprising means ywhich is relativelylweak in hdrizontal shear Aforresisting horizontal shiftingof said flangeswherebyhorizontal forces of suiiicient magnitude may shear the said connection and permit separation of said flanges horizontally, the said flanges being so constructed and arranged as to'perinit separation thereof when said shear connection is destroyed.

BRUNOLF c. BAADE. 

